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Bony bunny

B

beki

Mama Doe
As rabbits age do they tend to get a bit bonier? Ruby is 5 and a half and I have noticed over the last couple of months her spine is a bit more prominent. I know as cats age they get bony sometimes but can this happen with rabbits? The vet didn't mention it at her vaccination check up when he checked her over (he didn't weigh her though). She has a little tummy so she isn't skinny but I can feel her spine. I haven't weighed her, I don't have the right kind of scales, she is a bit big to sit on my kitchen scales.

Thanks
 
Personally, I'd get some scales/a vet appointment to get her weighed.

AFAIK rabbits don't tend to get bonier at just five and a half year olds. I would personally only expect a bun to get bonier if they're quite old, like 8 and above, or ill. I may be wrong, but unless Ruby is a giant five and a half years old isn't *that* old, so I wouldn't expect her to get bony.
 
No she shouldn't become bony at 5.1/2 as she is only middle-aged. Maybe she has a health problem, does she eat well, have you had her from a baby?
 
Humm I'll see if I can take her to the vets then to be weighed. It's one at the local pets at home so I can probably just walk into the store and see if I can pop the carrier on their scales as I think they have it near the reception.

I have had her from a baby, she eats loads! Well I know she scoffs the majority of the veg and hay, I assume the pellets too as they are cleared out by the next morning, if not by the same evening, when they get a top up. Her partner reggie is a little nethie and doesn't eat a great deal so I suspect she has most of the food.

She seems bright and lively. She hasn't actually been out of the hutch for excercise these last 2 weeks as I am having the garden done so there is no where for her to run about but last time I saw her running she didn't have any problems.
 
beki said:
Humm I'll see if I can take her to the vets then to be weighed. It's one at the local pets at home so I can probably just walk into the store and see if I can pop the carrier on their scales as I think they have it near the reception.

I have had her from a baby, she eats loads! Well I know she scoffs the majority of the veg and hay, I assume the pellets too as they are cleared out by the next morning, if not by the same evening, when they get a top up. Her partner reggie is a little nethie and doesn't eat a great deal so I suspect she has most of the food.

She seems bright and lively. She hasn't actually been out of the hutch for excercise these last 2 weeks as I am having the garden done so there is no where for her to run about but last time I saw her running she didn't have any problems.
Click to expand...

Just make sure you know the weight of the carrier beforehand, otherwise it won't be correct and she'll be heavier than she is! It's good that she's eating OK, but if she has lost weight I'd definitely get her an appointment as there could be a number of underlying reasons why she's bony.
 
what breed is she? giants for example are old at that age whereas smaller breeds that's middle age, although each bunny ages differently, its best check her weight, and ask vet to check
 
Can you put a plate on your kitchen scales and pop her on that? Works for me, though my bunnies are little.
I wouldn't expect them to be losing weight at that age particularly either - definitely worth checking out.
 
I used to put Harvey in a large mixing bowl on the kitchen scales, he did look funny in there! Couldn't weigh Lilly in there though as she's too big, then realised I could put them on the bathroom scales and they'd sit still long enough for a quick reading! I'm assuming you don't have bathroom scales though!
 
A plate might work, thanks I will try that :)

I do have bathroom scales, I will need to get batteries for them, I'm just not sure how accurate they will be as they are electronic ones but they do register to 1 decimal place so might work.

Ruby is a thrianta so a medium sized bunny, her weight has maintained round the 2.2 kilo mark since she has been fully grown. I'll try weighing her tomorrow on the kitchen scales with a bowl or plate and if I can't get an accurate reading I'll try the bathroom scales (after battery purchase) or vets. My kitchen scales are manual ones with a dial so if she moves a lot they might not be much use.

She does have a podgy tummy so I'm not hugely concerned but as she shouldn't have a bony spine I will get it checked out if she has lost some weight. I can't feel ribs though, just the ridges of her spine.
 
A couple of years ago I got her weighed at the vets and she had lost .2 of a kilo but reggie had gained that .2 and the vet didn't seem concerned as ruby looked healthy. Next time she went, she had gained the .2 back and he had lost it!! Maybe I should weigh reggie to see if he has gained weight
 
my rabbits have felt alittle bonier during heavy moults, even though they have stayed same weight or in mabels case this time gained weight
 
Thanks minilop1, she is having a big moult at the moment and is a fluffy bunny so I could be down to that. I'll update when I have weighed her to let you know if her weight is ok
 
I weighed both bunnies, ruby has lost 50g and reggie has gained 50g, so she is letting him eat more I suspect. She is the dominant rabbit and usually pushes him out of the way for food but lately he has been grabbing his fair share of the veg so she is getting less so I suspect this is why she is bony.

I don't think I need t be concerned, I'll just increase the food for a bit and see how she goes. Does everyone think this is ok or will I need a trip to the vets? Of course if she gets bonier I will take her. I can't feel her ribs or pelvis prominently, just spine and she weighs 2kilos, 150g so not a tiny bunny.
 
Sometimes I find that female bunnies carry their weight underneath and this becomes more pronounced as they get older.

It seems odd that your rabbits pass a handful of grams between them every now and again! :lol:

So long as she's not overly thin all over, and very well in herself, I would just keep an eye on her weight. I use kitchen scales with the old fashioned weights on one side. The bun goes into the big metal scoop thing. It's easy that way to very accurately record their weight.
 
It's happened a couple of times before but only the vet had picked up on it, I have never noticed it myself until these last few weeks. They usually level out again when ruby regains dominance over the food, I think if I give them a few more pellets in the evening then she can gain a bit and reggie not lose as he looks ok for the extra weight.

I haven't been able to get them out to run round the garden the last 2 weeks due to having builders in putting up fencing and landscaping my garden so brought them indoors last night and they are both fine, bright and curious. Ruby chased the cats so I know she is ok!

I put them in a mixing bowl on my kitchen scales, that worked well :)
 
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